The Black Curriculum's Lavinya Stennett + RIP English Civil Rights Legend Paul Stephenson S2 EP22

👉🏿 WATCH THE FULL VIDEO INTERVIEW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC8g-wk0RIg&t=1s

In this week's Black World News Kai discusses the news of Paul Stephenson's passing earlier this month. Paul was a civil rights legend in the UK and a great example of a Black historical figure who should to be on the curriculum. Talking of the curriculum, this week's official guest interview is with Lavinya Stennett, founder and CEO of The Black Curriculum (aka TBC).  They discuss her important work and her important new book ‘Omitted‘ (OUT NEXT YEAR: Feb 13, 2025), which dives into popular misconceptions about Black history, and asks why education still hasn’t changed, even in schools now. Lavinya makes plain some of TBC's challenges when working with institutions and sponsors, the impact of TBC, and whether the curriculum will ever change. 

Lavinya is a writer, author, founder & director of TBC. Having graduated with a BA in African Studies and Development from SOAS University, London in 2019, Lavinya was inspired by her learning and experience in New Zealand to set up TBC in 2019 aged 22. During university, she was engaged in student activism as the "Working Class Student Officer" and co-founded a society called Art and the African Mind, which aimed to promote and provide African-centred art and information as well as support for students. Continuing to engage in her love of writing, Lavinya published her dissertation which won the inaugural Walter Rodney Prize, and has written on social and cultural themes throughout the African diaspora for outlets including the Guardian, Black Ballad, and Quartz Africa.

TBC was co-founded in 2019 by Lavinya (CEO), Bethany Thompson, and Lisa Kennedy. TBC is a national movement and social enterprise that seeks to change the way Black history is engaged with by everyone. It works to ensure histories of Black people in Britain are integrated into schools and educational facilities. It was supported by Virgil Abloh who was a patron and continues to be supported by Edward Enninfull, David Olusoga, and Jade Bentil. Their work has made real-life differences including learning resources, introducing an accredited Black British history course and Lavinya continues to speak about it worldwide. For her efforts, she’s been awarded the Freedom to the City in London and MIPAD (Most Influential People of African Descent) in New York. 

LAVINYA STENNETT + THE BLACK CURRICULUM SOCIALS LINKS

(IG) @gottabelavin_ya @theblackcurriculum (X) @CurriculumBlack

INTRO LINKS

Paul Stephenson obituary https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/22/paul-stephenson-obituary

Black Lives: Roy Hackett: the civil rights hero who stood in front of a bus – and changed Britain for ever https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/aug/06/roy-hackett-the-civil-rights-hero-who-stood-in-front-of-a-bus-and-changed-britain-for-ever

Interview: Guy Reid-Bailey: the man who sparked the Bristol bus boycott and then fought to desegregate housing https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/17/guy-reid-bailey-the-man-who-sparked-the-bristol-bus-boycott-and-then-fought-to-desegregate-housing

Black Lives: Paul Stephenson: the hero who refused to leave a pub – and helped desegregate Britain https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/oct/01/paul-stephenson-the-hero-who-refused-to-leave-a-pub-and-helped-desegregate-britain

'War is madness': Steve McQueen and Saoirse Ronan on Britishness, trauma and new drama Blitz https://www.bigissue.com/culture/film/blitz-steve-mcqueen-saoirse-ronan-interview-war-britain/

LIMITED EDITION HARDBACK Memoirs Of A Black Englishman https://www.tangentbooks.co.uk/shop/pre-order-memoirs-of-a-black-englishman-limited-edition-hardback

OFFICIAL GUEST LINKS

The Black Curriculum  https://theblackcurriculum.com/

27 by Lavinya Stennett 27 a poetry collection about cultural rebirths, the cycles of life and a new future https://www.lavinyastennett.co.uk/p27/p/ryua6j4gsjfzev4xot3za0u7a6v1i5

Lavinya's Stennett's Website https://lavinyastennett.co.uk/

Fourth Estate lands Stennett's debut book on Black history https://www.thebookseller.com/rights/4th-estate-lands-stennetts-debut-book-black-history-1266800

Lavinya's Most Influential People of African Descent Award https://blog.mipad.org/lavinya-stennett/

Lavinya awarded the Freedom of the City https://www.instagram.com/gottabelavin_ya/p/DBtX13jIC5e/?img_index=1

JOIN THE STRUGGLE>> THE HARAMBEE ORGANISATION OF BLACK UNITY NEEDS YOU

Harambee Organisation of Black Unity (Marcus Garvey Centre + Nicole Andrews Community Library, Birmingham, UK): https://www.blackunity.org.uk/

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Make It Plain - Black Education Community Resource Bank We are creating an educational community resource bank., to provide the education that Black children need. Please email us your resource links and we'll create a Black education resource page on Make It Plain.  mip@blackunity.org.uk 

CAP25 - Convention of Afrikan People - Gambia - May 17-19, 2025 (Everyone's Welcome*) On Malcolm X’s 100th birthday, the Harambee Organisation of Black Unity is bringing together those in Afrika and the Diaspora who want to fulfill Malcolm’s legacy and build a global organization for Black people. This is an open invitation to anyone: https://make-it-plain.org/convention-of-afrikan-people/

*On the CAP Steering Committee, we have a Marginalized identities group that looks at LGBTQIA+ and other marginalized identities within Blackness, to ensure all Black people are included" 

BUF - Black United Front  Global directory of Black organizations. This will be hosted completely free of charge so if you run a Black organization please email the name, address, website, and contact info to mip@blackunity.org.uk to be listed.

MIP SOCIALS LINK

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